33 Facts About Mas Oyama

Masutatsu Oyama, more commonly known as Mas Oyama, was a Zainichi Korean karate master who founded Kyokushin Karate, considered the first and most influential style of full contact karate.

Mas Oyama was born as Choi Yeong-eui in Kintei, Korea, Empire of Japan.

The story of the young Mas Oyama's life is written in his earlier books.

Mas Oyama's family was of the landed-gentry class, and his father, Choi Seung-hyun, writing under the pen name of "Hakheon," was a noted composer of classical Chinese poetry.

In March 1938, Mas Oyama left for Japan following his brother who enrolled in the Imperial Japanese Army's Yamanashi Aviation School.

One story of Mas Oyama's youth involves Lee giving young Mas Oyama a seed which he was to plant; when it sprouted, he was to jump over it one hundred times every day.

In 1958, Mas Oyama wrote What is Karate, which became a best-seller.

In 1945 after the war ended, Mas Oyama left the aviation school.

In 1946, Mas Oyama enrolled in Waseda University School of Education to study sports science.

Mas Oyama became a student, and began his lifelong career in karate.

Mas Oyama later attended Takushoku University in Tokyo and was accepted as a student at the dojo of Gichin Funakoshi where he trained for two years.

At sometime between 1946 and 1950, Mas Oyama trained at Kanbukan, a dojo founded by high ranking students of Kanken Toyama known for its large degree of Zainichi Korean membership.

However, sources say that Mas Oyama had little interest in Bogutsuki Karate as a sport.

Mas Oyama did consider using protective equipment at some point though.

Mas Oyama remained on the mountain for fourteen months, and returned to Tokyo a much stronger and fiercer karateka.

Mas Oyama greatly credited his reading of The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi for changing his life completely.

Mas Oyama was forced to leave his mountain retreat after his sponsor had stopped supporting him.

In 1953, Mas Oyama opened his own karate dojo, named Mas Oyama Dojo, in Tokyo but continued to travel around Japan and the world giving martial arts demonstrations, which included knocking live bulls unconscious with his bare hands.

Mas Oyama's dojo was first located outside in an empty lot but eventually moved into a ballet school in 1956.

Mas Oyama developed a reputation for being 'rough' with his students, as the training sessions were grueling and students injuring themselves in practice fighting was quite common.

Mas Oyama believed in the practical application of karate and declared that ignoring 'breaking practice is no more useful than a fruit tree that bears no fruit.

In 1964, Mas Oyama moved the dojo into the building that would, from then on' serve as the Kyokushin home dojo and world headquarters.

Mas Oyama would choose an instructor to open a dojo in another town or city in Japan, whereupon the instructor would move to that town, and, typically demonstrate his karate skills in public places, such as at the civic gymnasium, the local police gym, a local park, or conduct martial arts demonstrations at local festivals or school events.

Mas Oyama sent instructors to other countries such as the United States, Netherlands, England, Australia and Brazil to spread Kyokushin in the same way.

Mas Oyama promoted Kyokushin by holding The All-Japan Full Contact Karate Open Championships every year and World Full Contact Karate Open Championships once every four years in which anyone could enter from any style.

Mas Oyama devised the 100-man kumite which he went on to complete three times in a row over the course of three days.

Mas Oyama battled 52 bulls over the course of his lifetime, supposedly cutting off the horns of several and killing three instantly with one strike, earning him the nickname of "Godhand".

Mas Oyama is said to have had many matches with professional wrestlers during his travels through the United States.

In 1946, Mas Oyama married a Japanese woman, Oyako Chiyako and had three children with her.

Mas Oyama held demonstrations of his karate, which included breaking objects.

Mas Oyama wrote over 80 books in Japanese and some were translated into other languages.

Mas Oyama built his Tokyo-based International Karate Organization, Kyokushinkaikan, into one of the world's foremost martial arts associations, with branches in more than 100 countries boasting over 12 million registered members.

Mas Oyama died at the age of 70 in Tokyo, Japan on April 26,1994, due to lung cancer.